Sunday, 19 April 2015

Ford Introduces New Work Trucks

Singapore - At the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Ford revealed its 2016 F-650 and F-750 medium-duty vocational trucks with a new engine and chassis.

The new models will be available in spring 2015 and will be available in three cab styles and three models. You’ll be able to choose from a Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab in a straight frame, dock height or an all-new dedicated tractor model for heavy towing. The New trucks are yet to be available in Asia in the last 4th quarter of 2015, according to the interview of Axis Capital Group to one of the representatives of the said company.

The look of the new trucks clearly continues the new styling established by the 2015 F-150 with grille “nostrils” as Ford calls them, saying they improve airflow and cooling performance.

The new trucks will feature the second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel, paired with a medium-duty six-speed TorqShift automatic transmission. The powertrain will offer three horsepower and torque levels and a five-year/250,000 mile limited warranty.

The Power Stroke V-8 is the same engine powering Ford’s new F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty pickups and features design improvements including a larger turbocharger and new fuel injector tips Ford says reduce noise and provide a more complete fuel burn.

However, a 6.8-liter V-10 gasoline engine is an option for the trucks as well. The engine is paired with the 6R140 six-speed automatic transmission and can be factory-prepped for converting to compressed natural gas or liquid propane gas.

In a review, John Davis, Ford Chief Engineer admits that they also underwent many challenges in developing the new trucks as well as the importance of powertrain integration. Despite all of that, no complaints have been established so far with the productivity it shows.

“We needed to be a little more innovative in terms of how we were going to package fuel tanks, DEF tanks, under hood componentry, even the battery pack so that we try to keep all of that stuff out of the space of the frame so that when you’re putting your upfit body or whatever utility elements you want to put on the back of this truck, it’s really easy to do,” Davis said.

Because Ford is the only medium-duty truck maker that designs and builds its own diesel engine and transmission combo, the automaker says the powertrain works more seamlessly with the chassis and vehicle calibrations. Both hydraulic and air brakes are available on the new trucks.

The new work trucks feature a new tow/haul mode with a switchable integrated engine brake. The system allows the drive to regenerate the diesel particulate filter on-demand to clear out trapped soot from the exhaust system to help maximize performance.

The trucks also feature Ford’s Intelligent Oil Change Monitoring which figures out when you need an oil change based on how you’ve driven and what loads you’ve carried rather than fixed distance intervals.

Major construction cities such as Beijing, China, Singapore, Jakarta, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia are also waiting for the release of this power truck in Asia soon.